Community Assets Programme

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made on the community assets programme; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The £30 million Community Assets programme is making excellent progress. Last month it announced 37 in-principle awards to refurbish assets that will be transferred to third sector ownership. The projects are imaginative and varied: from inner-city spaces offering alternative education for young people; to cutting edge theatre and art; and health and keep fit services,

Social Enterprise

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to promote social enterprise amongst young people.

Edward Miliband: The Government are committed to promoting social enterprise among young people as part of the 2006 Social Enterprise Action Plan and the 2007 Third Sector Review, Programmes with a focus on young people include the Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme, raising the profile of social enterprise, and embedding social enterprise in the school curriculum, such as GCSE Business Studies.

Social Inclusion

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent steps he has taken to promote social inclusion in rural areas.

Phil Hope: The Socially Excluded Adults Public Service Agreement and the Families at Risk Review will help to promote social inclusion in rural areas. They will support the Government's wider work on building strong rural communities and ensuring that public services meet the needs of the most vulnerable rural residents. The Government are providing over £50 million a year to support rural bus services, is ensuring that 95 per cent. of the rural population are within three miles of a Post Office, and has committed to deliver over 10,000 affordable homes in settlements of less than 3,000 inhabitants by 2011.

Aviation: Noise

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when the Government adopted the 57dBLeq contour as the threshold for problematic aircraft noise;
	(2)  if she will review the effectiveness of the 57dBLeq contour as a threshold for problematic transport-related noise.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In September 1990 the Department for Transport announced the replacement of the noise and number index (NNI) with Leq (16 hour) dBA as the daytime index for aircraft noise. 57 dBA Leq (measured over 07.00-23.00 period) was adopted as representing the onset of annoyance, although the Government acknowledged that there can be no absolute measure of disturbance from aircraft noise given the variation in individual reactions.
	This decision followed publication of the report "United Kingdom Aircraft Noise Index Study" (ANIS) in 1985 and subsequent consultation on its findings.
	In 2001 the Department commissioned the "Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources" (ANASE) study to update the ANIS, research. The conclusions of this study (which were announced by the Secretary of State on 2 November 2007) indicated that whilst it is highly probable that annoyance with a particular level of aircraft noise is higher than found in the ANIS study, it showed no evidence of a particular threshold at which it becomes a serious problem.
	However, in terms of making quantitative comparisons between the results from ANASE and the earlier ANIS study, expert peer reviewers of the ANASE study advised that "reliance on the detailed outcome of ANASE would be misplaced" and that they would "counsel against using the detailed results and conclusions from ANASE in the development of government policy".
	Although the report does not provide evidence for replacing the figure of 57 dBA Leq (16 hours) with a lower or higher figure, we believe it is right to retain this figure as a safeguard for those who, are most affected by aircraft noise. In the "Future of Air Transport" White Paper the Government gave a commitment that further development of Heathrow could only be considered if it resulted in no net increase in the total area of the 57 Leq dBA noise contour compared with summer 2002, an area of 127 sq km. That commitment stands and the ability to meet it is a key consideration, in the "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation.
	Additionally, as we announced when the ANASE study was released, pending the availability of a better alternative we will apply existing valuation for road and rail noise when assessing the economic impact of noise in the cost- benefit analysis of future aviation projects. We have taken this approach in the case of "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation.
	The Department is taking forward work to follow up the ANASE findings with the Aircraft Noise Monitoring Advisory Committee (ANMAC), whose role is to advise the Department on policy relating to aircraft noise at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
	The significance of the 57 dBA (16 hours) contour—as representing the onset of annoyance—specifically relates to aircraft noise. Noise annoyance criteria from other transport sources will reflect research, as appropriate, specific to those modes.

Aviation: Noise

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether training flight movements are included in data collected on air traffic management movements and consequential noise at UK airports.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Civil Aviation Authority collect statistics on air transport movements at the larger UK airports and these are published on their website. The published statistics include a table:
	(http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2007Annual/Table_ 03_1_Aircraft_Movements_2007.csv)
	listing non-commercial movements amongst which are test and training flights.
	The CAA also produce annual noise contours maps for the three London designated airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted). However similar maps for other airports are not produced.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2533-34W, on departmental ICT, how many of the missing or stolen  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistants have been replaced by her Department; and at what cost.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The cost for the replacement of the laptop computers, mobile telephones and personal digital assistants reported as lost or missing and stolen since 2002, as referred to in the answer of 5 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 2533-34W, was:
	£79,370 for lost or missing and stolen laptops;
	£2,852 for lost or missing and stolen mobile telephones; and
	£4,918 for lost or missing and stolen personal digital assistants.
	For the purposes of this reply, it is assumed that all lost, missing and stolen mobile devices were replaced by the Department for Transport. Complete records of whether any single lost or stolen item was actually replaced are not available. Where accurate replacement costs are not available, the replacement costs for these items have been estimated.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to require the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to release information to companies making manual requests only if such companies are members of a DVLA-accredited trade association.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The requirement for private car parking companies who submit requests for vehicle keeper information via electronic channels to be a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA) was introduced following public consultation in 2006. The British Parking Association is the only existing ATA for the parking industry. Following the consultation, it was not considered necessary to extend this requirement to those who apply via the manual, paper-based channels due to the fact that each application is considered individually and additional to the evidence that must be provided.
	DVLA will shortly be undertaking a review of all the new measures introduced in 2006. This review will consider the effectiveness of the current requirements, and all other options available.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests for information in respect of the registered keeper of a vehicle were made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in the last month for which figures are available; how many of those were received by  (a) electronic and  (b) manual requests from (i) DVLA-accredited trade associations, (ii) non-DVLA-accredited car park operators, (iii) individuals and (iv) others; and how many in each category were (A) accepted and (B) refused.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 provides for the release of information from DVLA's vehicle register to the police, to local authorities for investigation of an offence or a decriminalised parking contravention, and to anyone who can demonstrate 'reasonable cause' for having the information made available to them.
	The requirement for unregulated companies who submit requests for vehicle keeper information via electronic channels to be a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA) was introduced following public consultation in 2006.
	Following the consultation, it was not considered necessary to extend this requirement to those who apply via the manual, paper-based channels due to the fact that each application is considered individually and additional to the evidence that must be provided.
	The latest figures available for requests for information processed by DVLA under the 'reasonable cause' provisions are for March 2008.
	During March, 100,828 requests were received and responded to electronically. During the same month, 24,106 manual requests for information were received and processed and an additional 2,659 were refused.
	The aforementioned figures show 'all' requests for vehicle keeper details under the 'reasonable cause' provisions. These include requests from insurance and finance companies, private car park enforcement companies, members of the public and solicitors, etc., for keeper details at a specific date of event. It also contains requests where the current keeper requires the full history of his vehicle and from mileage companies for investigations into vehicle 'clocking'.
	DVLA does not keep separate figures for each category of requests, so it is not possible to advise how many requests were made by individuals, members of DVLA Accredited Trade Associations (ATA), non-DVLA accredited car park enforcement companies, or others.
	It is possible to confirm, however, that all electronic requests would have been made either by companies with a statutory regulator or members of an ATA.

Railways: Sales

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of dismantled railway track bed have been sold by the British Railways Property Board since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: BRB (Residuary) do not record the length of trackbed that it disposes of. However, since 2001, the number of sites containing trackbed that have been sold is limited as most disused railway lines that were owned by the British Railways Board had been disposed of by then.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on a UK-wide animal health and welfare strategy.

Jonathan R Shaw: An Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Britain was launched in 2004. Northern Ireland has a similar strategy and is currently consulting on a draft all-island strategy. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has appointed an advisory body, the England Implementation Group, to oversee delivery of the strategy in England. This group maintains links with its Scottish and Welsh counterparts to review British wide strategy implementation issues.

Flood Control: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis of critical infrastructure facilities has been undertaken in respect of Gloucestershire since July 2007; what additional protection has been put in place as a result; and what consideration has been given to the relocation of critical infrastructure.

Phil Woolas: During the Gloucestershire floods, electricity supplies were disrupted due to flooding of the Castlemeads electricity distribution substation. In addition, the larger Walham electricity transmission substation required urgent flood protection measures to be carried out to prevent the site from being flooded. Both of these substations now have permanent flood protection barriers in place.
	A review into the resilience of electricity substations to flooding was initiated by the Energy Minister, which is being led by the Energy Networks Association with support from network owners, BERR, Ofgem and the Environment Agency. This review has made contributions to Sir Michael Pitt's review into learning lessons from the 2007 floods and has developed a framework for assessing flood risk and mitigation measures that will be used to assess the situation at each of the major electricity substations during the remainder of 2008.
	Severn Trent Water has been developing plans to secure alternative piped water supplies to Gloucestershire in the event of losing either Mythe or Mitcheldean Water Treatment Works. These plans are not limited to providing additional flood protection at the works and include such things as new pumping stations and improved interconnectivity between the works at Mythe and Strensham. The company presented outline proposals to Gloucestershire Overview and Scrutiny Management committee on 31 March 2008.

Food: Prices

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the relationship between bio fuels and rising food prices; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: We have received various representations on this issue from both hon. Members and the public.
	The Government are concerned about the effect of rising food prices. Although not the main cause, the demand for biofuels is a contributing factor. Other factors include adverse weather conditions affecting recent harvests, the increasing demand for meat and hence for animal feed in developing countries, trade restrictions imposed by Governments on exports and higher production costs, such as a rise in fertiliser prices.

Horses: Exports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his officials last raised with the European Commission the ban on the import of UK thoroughbred bloodstock by the Indian government.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has raised the issue of the ban on the export of breeding horses to India with the European Commission (and others) several times over many years, most recently in March this year. We will continue to do so as we and the Commission are very keen to resolve this long-standing issue in line with international protocol (World Animal Health Organisation) for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM). The Commission has recently urged the Indian authorities to accept our invitation to visit the UK to see our CEM controls but the Indians have not so far taken up the offer. The Indian ban affects all countries in which CEM has occurred in the past three years, which includes other member states.

Nature Conservation: Wildlife

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the protection of endangered species.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 1 May 2008
	Species protection has both national and international facets to it, recent steps to improve protection have included the following:
	Following advice from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the water vole, short-snouted seahorse, spiny seahorse, roman snail and angel shark have now been given enhanced protection in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
	On 28 August 2007, I announced a new UK list of priority species and habitats (containing 1,149 species), which provides a focus for conservation action over the next decade and will be used to inform statutory lists under legislation in each of the countries of the UK.
	In August last year, we brought into force regulations that increased the protection of species listed on annex IV of the habitats directive.
	On the wider international stage, at the 2007 Conference of Parties to the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES), the UK fully supported the increased protection of a range of species affected by international trade including the slow loris, the European eel and brazilwood. During 2007-08, DEFRA provided funding of around £1 million towards the operation of CITES and other major conventions, most notably the convention on biological diversity (CBD) including targeted funding for specific projects to protect and conserve albatrosses and petrels, migratory sharks, African elephants, Indian ocean marine turtles and tigers. In addition, DEFRA provided £75,000 for the Flagship Species Fund, which included projects on endangered sea turtles, primates and conifers.

Packaging: Supermarkets

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage  (a) supermarket shoppers to re-use plastic bags and  (b) supermarkets to use less packaging; and if he will introduce schemes encouraging supermarkets to provide fewer plastic bags to shoppers.

Joan Ruddock: The Government pledged in the "Waste Strategy for England 2007" to phase out free single-use carrier bags.
	The UK retail sector set itself a shared objective with the Government and the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25 per cent. by the end of 2008.
	The Prime Minister announced on 19 November 2007 that we needed to go further—to eliminate single-use carrier bags altogether in favour of long-lasting and more sustainable alternatives. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget on 12 March that we will introduce legislation to impose a charge on single-use carrier bags in 2009 if we have not seen sufficient progress on a voluntary basis.
	The management of packaging and packaging waste is covered by two sets of regulations in the UK; the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 (as amended). The aim of both sets of regulations is to minimise the amount of packaging used in the first place, and therefore reduce packaging waste. An additional objective of the regulations is to encourage reuse of packaging and increase the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.
	My Department continues to encourage supermarkets to take greater responsibility for the waste they place on the market and for producers to reduce their waste. Apart from the two sets of packaging regulations described above, WRAP is currently working with retailers through the 'Courtauld Commitment', a voluntary agreement which aimed to halt packaging growth by March this year and make absolute reductions in packaging waste by 2010.

Plastic Bags

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of plastic bags used  (a) by supermarket shoppers in the last 12 months and  (b) in England in the last 10 years.

Joan Ruddock: The Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) estimates that over 13 billion carrier bags are distributed in the UK each year. Of these, the supermarket signatories to WRAP'S voluntary agreement on carrier bags accounted for 12.7 billion bags in 2006 and 11.6 billion in 2007, of which 89per cent. were plastic in 2006 and 80 per cent. were plastic in 2007.
	We do not have figures predating this, or for England only.

Seals: Canada

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed the seal hunt in Canada with the Canadian government; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The last meeting with the Canadian Government at Ministerial level took place on 28 March 2007 when Ian McCartney, the then joint Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), together with officials from DTI, FCO and DEFRA, met with a delegation from Canada to discuss the seal hunt.
	More recently, officials from my Department, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and FCO met with a delegation from Canada on 31 March this year to discuss the Canadian seal hunt.
	I also wrote to the Canadian High Commissioner on 22 April agreeing to a meeting with me, or Ministerial colleagues at BERR or FCO once the EU-commissioned report on the impact of any regulatory or other EU-wide measures in response to seal hunting has been published.

Waste Disposal: Closed Circuit Television

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the use of CCTV footage to monitor waste disposal.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 858W.
	In addition, I can advise that local authorities are responsible for planning and monitoring their CCTV systems and there has been no guidance issued by my Department on their use at municipal waste facilities or to monitor recycling.

Waste Management

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to improve local waste management.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 1 May 2008
	Waste Strategy 2007 outlines the role of local authorities in working towards improvements in local waste management.
	My Department has recently announced that it has awarded PFI credits to four projects across England to improve local waste management. The projects will help local authorities deliver carbon benefits and divert over a million tonnes of waste from landfill. Each of the four projects will support the local authority's waste ambitions. All aim to reduce the overall amount of waste created, and it is anticipated they all will deliver a minimum of 50 per cent. recycling rate by 2020, with some aspiring to reach 60 per cent.
	My Department is also consulting on draft regulations and draft guidance for proposals for establishing joint waste authorities in England. The consultation outlines that neighbouring local authorities, working together, can deliver better integrated and cost-effective waste services.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which is partly funded by the Government, continue to support local authorities in their work to deliver better recycling services and more waste reduction.

World War II: Medals

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications his Department had received for the Women's Land Army Award at the latest date for which figures are available; how many of those applications had been acknowledged; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have received approximately 28,200 applications for the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps badge. Completed application forms have not been acknowledged due to the high volumes received. However, all other written correspondence, approximately 3,000 pieces, have been acknowledged.

Taxation: Fuels

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much VAT revenue was raised from the sale of road fuel in each of the last 60 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will estimate the average percentage of average household disposable income accounted for by  (a) the purchase of road fuel and  (b) the duty and VAT payable on road fuel in each of the last (i) five years and (ii) 12 months;
	(3)  what projections his Department has made of the amounts of revenue that would be raised annually from  (a) road fuel duty and  (b) VAT on road fuel if the price of oil was (i) 120, (ii) 130, (iii) 140 and (iv) 150 US dollars per barrel;

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
	Annual estimates of the percentage of disposable household income accounted for by road fuels and duty and VAT payable on road fuels can be calculated from data held in the House of Commons Library. Data on average household income and expenditure is available from the Expenditure and Food Survey, published by the Office for National Statistics. Data on average road fuel prices per litre and average duty rates are contained in the "Tax Benefit Reference Manual". Data are not available on a monthly basis.
	No projections of revenues at hypothetical levels of oil price have been made.

Valuation Office: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use the Valuation Office Agency's District Valuer Services makes of dwellinghouse coding for domestic properties.

Jane Kennedy: District Valuer Services makes use of dwelling house codes to assist in the valuation of domestic property, and analysis of transaction information.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Michael Mates: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many forces' widows were in receipt of a pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme at the latest date for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The number of widows, widowers and surviving partners in receipt of a pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as at 1 January 2008 is 63,496.

Army: Officers

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the actual strength of Army officers of each rank is; and if he will make a statement on the position and retention of captains.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army Officers strength as at 1 March 2008 is provided as follows:
	
		
			  Army Officers strength according to paid rank at 1 March 2008 ( 1) 
			   Number 
			 Major General to General 60 
			 Brigadier 180 
			 Colonel 580 
			 Lieutenant Colonel 1,750 
			 Major 4,710 
			 Captain 4,690 
			 Second Lieutenant and Lieutenant 1,710 
			 (1) All figures are provisional and are rounded in accordance with Defence Analytical Services and Advice conventions. Figures are for trained regular strengths only and therefore exclude Full Time Reserve Service, Gurkhas and Home Service Personnel of the Royal Irish Regiment. 
		
	
	Since 2004 there has been an increase in the number of Army Captains seeking Voluntary Outflow (VO) from service but the total number in service has actually increased, resulting in a reduction of the deficit against requirement.
	The Army continues to monitor VO carefully, and is looking at a number of positive measures to improve retention and further reduce the deficit of captains. These include examination of the officer career management structure and conditions of service, and commissioning of a greater number of officers both from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and from the non-commissioned ranks.

Departmental Energy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to reduce its energy consumption in the last 12 months; and what his Department's expenditure on energy was in  (a) the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and  (b) the immediately preceding 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made significant progress over the past 12 months in reducing energy consumption by taking such steps as improving building energy management and energy efficiency; installing more energy efficient lighting, automated metering and biomass boilers; focussing resources on the top 220 energy consuming defence sites; conducting audits, improving data management, making central funds available for energy efficiency/carbon emissions reduction projects; and embedding pro-rata energy efficiency targets into Service Delivery Agreement between MOD the Under-Secretary and the Department's management areas.
	The Department has published figures for utilities expenditure since 2000. The figure for 2006-07 and 2005-06 have been published in the Department's accounts and are the latest figures available. The figures are:
	
		
			  Utilities  Financial year 2006-07 (£000) 
			 Heating oil 33,335 
			 Utilities consumption—USF 2,781 
			 Gas 92,244 
			 Electricity 170,459 
			 Water and sewage 20,772 
			 Total 319,591 
		
	
	
		
			  Utilities  Financial year 2005-06 (£000) 
			 Heating oil 30,913 
			 Utilities consumption—USF 3,132 
			 Gas 100,151 
			 Electricity 141,186 
			 Water and sewage 15,965 
			 Total 291,347

Ex-servicemen: Unemployed

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of former service personnel who were unemployed in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not collect statistics in this form to be able to make an estimate of the number of former service personnel who were unemployed in each year since 1997. Data do however show that 94 per cent. of service leavers looking for careers after service life are in employment six months after discharge.

Meteorological Office: Politics International

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments the Met Office has made to Politics International Ltd. in each of the last five years; on what dates; and for what purpose the payments were made in each case.

Derek Twigg: The Met Office has made the following payments to Politics International Ltd in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  2004  £ 
			 14 July 6,000.00 
			 28 July 425.54 
			 6 October 19.00 
			 3 November 5,000.00 
			 17 November 608.14 
			   
			  2005  
			 28 January 1,941.86 
			 24 August 4,300.00 
			 28 September 3,750.00 
			 26 October 7,250.00 
			 30 November 3,750.00 
			 14 December 1,177.30 
			 21 December 3,750.00 
			   
			  2006  
			 25 January 3,750.00 
			 17 March 3,750.00 
			 7 April 3,750.00 
			 26 April 3,750.00 
			 17 May 15.00 
			 24 May 5,150.00 
			 28 June 9,700.00 
			 26 July 3,750.00 
			 28 July 585.85 
			 30 August 3,750.00 
			 28 September 3,750.00 
			 25 October 3,750.00 
			 24 November 3,750.00 
			   
			  2007  
			 5 January 4,875.09 
			 24 January 3,750.00 
			 28 February 3,750.00 
			 28 March 7,595.45 
			 25 April 3,807.17 
			 25 May 3,750.00 
			 27 June 6,710.21 
			 28 September 10,252.06 
			 10 October 3,220.92 
			 24 October 12,214.52 
			 28 November 800.00 
			   
			  2008  
			 11 January 3,642.85 
			 30 January 8,793.80 
			 26 March 1,170.00 
		
	
	These payments relate to training for Met Office witnesses appearing before Select Committees; training for Met Office staff in stakeholder management; assistance with the development and strengthening of relationships with key stakeholders, and; support for Met Office participation in stakeholder events relating to meteorology and climate science.

Prince William

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 887-88W, on His Royal Highness Prince William, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of training His Royal Highness Prince William as a pilot.

Bob Ainsworth: No specific calculation has been made of the individual cost of HRH Prince William's flying training. However it is unlikely to exceed that of equivalent training undertaken by other trainees, given that basic flight training covers a series of set elements.
	The cost of providing basic flying training for the RAF is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  RAF flight training costs 
			  Activity  Aircraft type  Cost (£000) at 2007-08 prices 
			 Elementary Flying Training Tutor 19.4 
			 Basic Fast Jet Training Tucano 93.5 
			 Basic Rotary Wing Training Squirrel 49.4 
			 Total  162.3

Reserve Forces: Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people there are in the Volunteer Reserve Forces; and what proportion of them have seen active service in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: Latest manning figures for the Volunteer Reserves (VRs) is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Royal Naval Reserve 2,220 
			 Royal Marine Reserve 820 
			 Territorial Army 30,000 
			 Royal Auxiliary Air Force 1,280 
			  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 
		
	
	The overall proportion of VRs who have seen active service in Iraq or Afghanistan is not available, and the steady turnover of the Reserves would render such a figure relatively meaningless, but over 17,000 VRs have been mobilised in support of operations since 2003.
	Since 2006, over 2,160 VRs have served in Iraq, and over 2,010 in Afghanistan.

Weather: Forecasts

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the accuracy of weather forecasts provided by the Meteorological Office in respect of each region of the UK; and what plans he has to improve the accuracy of such forecasts.

Derek Twigg: The accuracy of weather forecasts provided by the Met Office is assessed through its performance in achieving its forecast accuracy key performance target (KPT). The KPT includes elements that measure the accuracy of forecasts for precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures for 11 locations throughout the UK. The annual targets for these elements, which are agreed by me and laid before Parliament, have been met in each year since they were introduced in 2005.
	Performance against the KPT is reflective of the continuous improvement in forecast accuracy made by the Met Office over the last twenty years. Today's forecast for three days ahead are more accurate than forecast for one day ahead 20 years ago.
	The government provides the Met Office with significant funding to support its activities. MOD, for example, is planning to invest £30 million in new, state-of-the-art super-computers. While investment in supercomputing is not the only factor in improving the accuracy of weather forecasts, it is significant as it underpins, amongst other things, the production of more accurate local-scale forecasts.
	Through increased supercomputing capability, the Met Office expects to make further substantial improvements in forecast accuracy over the coming years.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have responsibility for a departmental pension scheme. UK civil servants employed by the FCO are members of the central Principal Civil Service Pensions Scheme (PCSPS). The PCSPS has published details of unfunded liabilities in present value terms in its annual resource accounts since 2000-2001. Because the assumptions underlying estimates of unfunded liabilities vary, for example life expectancy, they are not directly comparable from year to year.

Zimbabwe: Armed Forces

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to prevent the Zimbabwean military increasing its arms capacity.

Kim Howells: holding answer 1 May 2008
	We believe that, against a backdrop of increasing tension and state-sponsored violence against civilians, it is quite the wrong time for any arms sales to Zimbabwe. We have therefore, with our EU partners, been actively promoting the need for states to refrain from such sales. We raised this issue at the UN Security Council on 29 April. Our embassy in Beijing has also raised our concerns with the Chinese government. We hope all states will be able to agree to a moratorium on arms sales to Zimbabwe until a democratic government is in place.

Departmental Research

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual research budget for  (a) his Department,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) Sport England,  (d) the Big Lottery Fund,  (e) English Heritage,  (f) the Heritage Lottery Fund and  (g) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council was in each of the last three years; and how much he expects each to spend on research in 2008-09.

Margaret Hodge: The annual research budget for the Department and the named organisations (as provided by those organisations) in each of the last three years, and planned spend for 2008-09 is set out in the table. All figures are inclusive of VAT:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Planned spend 2008-09 
			 DCMS 1,501,000 2,796,000 1,891,000 (1)— 
			 Arts Council 470,000 925,000 805,000 (1)— 
			 Sport England 3,700,000 3,100,000 2,500,000 (2)1,800,000 
			 BLF 100,000 125,000 130,000 166,000 
			 English Heritage 7,451,000 5,561,000 5,731,000 5,579,000 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 563,000 561,000 493,000 552,000 
			 MLA Council 461,000 475,000 590,000 485,000 
			 (1 )To be determined (2) For the period 2008-09 this is an estimated figure as the budgets are being compiled and the figure quoted is for half a year.

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of conducting staff surveys was for  (a) his Department,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) Sport England,  (d) the Big Lottery Fund,  (e) English Heritage,  (f) the Heritage Lottery Fund and  (g) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in each of the last three years; and how much he expects each to spend on such surveys in 2008-09.

Margaret Hodge: The annual cost of staff surveys for the Department and the named organisations (as provided by those organisations) in each of the last three years, and planned spend for 2008-09 is set out in the table. All figures include VAT. The figures include the costs of the main staff survey and do not include ad hoc requests for information.
	
		
			   Financial year  
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 ( 1) 2008-09 
			 DCMS 20,000 0 21,540 0 
			 Arts Council 28,000 23,400 18,300 (2)— 
			 Sport England 13,543 15,897 (3)— (4)— 
			 BLF (5)— 8,500 9,000 9,500 
			 English Heritage 0 0 39,550 0 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 0 0 0 0 
			 MLA Council 0 3,173 0 0 
			 (1 )Planned spend. (2 )Figures not available. (3 )None undertaken. (4) None planned. (5 )No survey

English Sports Council: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the staff costs at each of the Sport England's regional offices were in each of the last three year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The costs were as follows:
	
		
			  Part 2: Regional staff costs for last three years( 1) 
			  Region  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 774,564 829,290 825,850 
			 Yorkshire 699,675 768,683 767,205 
			 East Midlands 792,948 880,039 828,087 
			 East 701,932 862,778 793,141 
			 London 846,095 1,025,970 1,052,293 
			 South East 871,171 937,940 797,033 
			 South West 882,430 890,032 845,956 
			 West Midlands 749,063 857,871 844,785 
			 North West 823,453 988,692 877,793 
			 Total 7,141,330 8,041,296 7,632,143 
			 (1) Includes salary, overtime, healthy life style benefits, employers pension and NI

Gambling Act, 2005

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Scoping Study for a UK Gambling Act, 2005 Impact Assessment Framework was  (a) commissioned and  (b) planned to be published at the time it was commissioned.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Scoping Study for the UK Gambling Act, 2005 Impact Assessment Framework was commissioned in May 2006 and scheduled for completion in November 2006. DCMS did not stipulate a publication date, however, it was published on 26 February 2008 and has been placed in the House Libraries.

Taking Part Survey

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what changes are planned for the next Taking Part survey; and what the reasons for each change are;
	(2)  what changes he expects to be made to the Taking Part survey in 2008-09.

Margaret Hodge: The Taking Part survey is run by DCMS in partnership with four of our NDPBs—Sport England, Arts Council England, English Heritage, and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Together, we have committed to running the survey for a further three years, beginning in July 2008.
	The survey enables us to understand and monitor people's engagement with DCMS sectors, and we are keen to maintain continuity with data already collected so that our knowledge builds over time. The survey methodology will therefore remain broadly similar to previous years, that is, continuous face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of adults aged 16 and above and children living in private households in England.
	The new contract is currently being drafted and will determine the scope of the survey going forward. In response to the changing needs and strategic objectives of the survey's partners and stakeholders, our intention is to reduce the scale of the survey and revise the questions asked.
	We have been interviewing around 28,000 people each year, however this is likely to be halved as we no longer plan to measure small changes within sub-samples of the population. The reduction will also help to make cost savings.
	We are also reviewing the questions that we ask respondents. Some questions will remain the same but through consultation with the survey's stakeholders and our own research and analysis we are identifying key questions that are necessary and relevant to DCMS and NDPB priorities.
	The scope and questions will be finalised in the coming weeks and, following piloting, fieldwork for the new Taking Part survey will begin in July. The survey will continue to evolve throughout the contract period (2008 to 2011).

Developing Countries: Malaria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken to reduce the number of children who die from malaria in developing countries since 1997.

Shahid Malik: Since 1997 the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided support for malaria control, targeted at both children and adults, through international organisations and partnerships, bilateral programmes and research. In April the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide 20 million insecticide treated bed nets which are vital for protecting children from malaria and prevent malaria deaths.
	DFID is providing £1 billion by 2015 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. To date the Fund has disbursed US$ 5.5 billion; 25 per cent. of which goes to malaria programmes. DFID has also provided £49 million to the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership which plays an important role in helping countries develop and secure finance for national malaria plans.
	At the country level, DFID support in Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria includes the treatment of children.
	DFID provides over £16 million for new drug development through its support for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, (DNDI) and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). Both are developing new malaria drugs.

International Assistance: Private Sector

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to involve private sector organisations in the facilitation of development in developing countries since 1999.

Shahid Malik: The UK Government works with developing country governments to support the growth of the private sector in their countries, and we fund a range of initiatives to encourage business to invest in key areas.
	We are currently working with major companies on the business call to action and on May 6 we showcased concrete initiatives taken by leading companies to use their core business to promote growth and development.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) has helped to establish and provides financing to the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa and the Private Infrastructure Development Group. Jointly with business we support the Investment Climate Facility for Africa, and recently announced the establishment of the International Growth Centre, which will deliver world class research and analytical and policy support to developing countries on growth.
	DFID also works directly with individual companies and business organisations to maximise the impact of business on development. The UK Government launched the extractive industries transparency initiative in 2002 and is currently launching two new initiatives to promote transparency in the construction sector and the medicines sector—the construction sector transparency (CoST) initiative and the medicines transparency alliance (MeTA). DFID also supports the ethical trading initiative and the multi-fibre arrangement forum, both of which promote responsible and successful business practices.

Latin America: Children

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has discussed programmes which could be designed to reduce the flow of street children to Latin American cities with partner non-governmental organisations.

Shahid Malik: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development have had discussions with partner non-governmental organisations about programmes which could be designed to reduce the flow of street children to Latin American cities. In Latin America we work through multilateral institutions such as the EC and World Bank and the plight of these vulnerable groups is an important priority in their programmes.

Children: Prisoners

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support the Government offers for children of prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	£5 million is spent each year to help offenders maintain positive ties with their children and families and to improve outcomes for the children of prisoners. Most prisons now have a visitor centre outside the gate, providing information and support for families. Over 100 prisons in England and Wales offer supervised play areas for some visits. Special visits are arranged which focus on the needs of the child. There is also provision for mothers to have young children with them in prison, where this is in the interests of the child.
	Last year, the Department of Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice conducted a priority joint review to improve support for the children of offenders. It concluded that parental imprisonment is a valuable opportunity to identify children at risk of poor outcomes and to offer them support. The findings, which were published in parallel with the "Think Family: Improving the life chances of families at risk" review, on 10 January 2008, can be found at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/~/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/think_families/offenders_review_080110%20pdf.ashx
	As part of the "Think Family" approach, which includes the £16 million Family Pathfinder programme, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice are exploring better ways to meet a child's needs when a parent goes to prison.

Young People: Crime Prevention

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to engage young people and members of the public in the preparation of the Youth Crime Action Plan.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The views of the public and young people are central to the development of the Youth Crime Action Plan. Young people are often the group most concerned about crime and are frequently victims.
	In May we are planning a series of seminars with young people to engage with them and ask for views on the work being done on the Youth Crime Action Plan.
	The Home Office and Design Alliance are also consulting young people about staying safe as part of their joint work on the Technology and Design Alliance. The alliance is working with Government to raise the profile of the role that design can play in combating crime and antisocial behaviour.
	We have also been taking into account views of both young people and members of the public through qualitative research being undertaken by the Department of Children, Schools and Families exploring how best to tackle negative perceptions of young people. The results are being used to ensure the Youth Crime Action Plan tackles issues of importance to members of the public and young people and helps to address concerns regarding young people's behaviour.

Departmental NDPBs

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people were serving on the boards of the non-departmental public bodies which his Department sponsors at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 2007" lists the number of people serving on the boards of public bodies as at 31 March 2007. These figures are broken down by individual Departments. As my Department was created by machinery of government changes in June 2007, its non-departmental public bodies are listed within those of its predecessor Departments, namely the Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Science.
	For ease of reference, the relevant non-departmental public bodies are as follows:
	British Hallmarking Council
	Commission for Employment and Skills (Executive Non-Departmental Public Body and Company Limited by Guarantee)
	Design Council
	Higher Education Funding Council for England
	Learning and Skills Council
	National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts
	Office for Fair Access
	Research Councils
	Student Loans Company
	Technology Strategy Board
	Council for Science and Technology
	"Public Bodies 2007" can be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp. Copies are also available in the Library of the House.

Prisons: Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much prisons in England and Wales received for work done by prisoners from  (a) private and  (b) public sector organisations in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the potential to increase prison revenue from such sources.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the value of both internal and external sales from work done by prisoners in public sector prisons in England and Wales. While the Prison Service would seek to receive revenue where possible it should also be acknowledged that prison industries has a number of other objectives including purposeful activity as well as skills and employment opportunities.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Internal sales( 1)  External sales( 2) 
			 2007-08 30,560 6,010 
			 2006-07 27,571 6,370 
			 2005-06 31,334 (3)— 
			 2004-05 37,919 (4)3,673 
			 2003-04 40,782 (4)4,370 
			 (1) The total sales value of goods and services provided using prisoners for internal consumption, including sales to the Ministry of Justice. The general reduction over the period is predominantly due to the phased implementation of hard charging.  (2) Total sales revenue from predominantly private sector organisations.  (3) Reliable data is not available for 200506 due to a system failure.  (4) Data extracted from internal (prison industry) monitoring and recording systems.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking in response to the comments of HM Inspector of Prisons' that four out of five mental health in-reach teams in prisons feel unable to respond adequately to the range of needs they face.

Maria Eagle: The report, The mental health of prisoners thematic (HMIP, 2007) made a number of recommendations about improving mental health care in prisons. The Department of Health is preparing its response to all these recommendations.

Health Services: Pilot Schemes

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the NHS Whole System Demonstrator pilots in  (a) Newham,  (b) Kent and  (c) Cornwall to go live;
	(2)  which parties are involved in the delivery of the NHS Whole System Demonstrator pilots in  (a) Newham,  (b) Kent and  (c) Cornwall;
	(3)  which services will be offered to patients in the NHS whole system demonstrator pilots in  (a) Newham,  (b) Kent and  (c) Cornwall.

Ann Keen: Since summer 2007, the three successful whole system demonstrator (WSD) sites (Kent, Cornwall and Newham), have been engaged with a consortium of leading United Kingdom research institutions, in a period of detailed methodology and process planning in order to define the evaluation design for the programme. In addition, the sites have been working to finalise their detailed implementation and delivery plans.
	The WSD are now undertaking work at a local level to inform, engage and recruit general practitioner (GP) practices to the programme and press ahead with implementation of their delivery plans. Eligible individuals are being written to in order to gain their consent to involvement in the trial. As people agree to involvement in the trial they are being assessed and enrolled on the programme.
	From April 2008, people have started to provide their consent to involvement in the trial and implementation is now underway. Following the consent of an individual there are several steps before mainstream service begins, e.g. eligibility confirmation, home visit, base-line evaluation interview, installation of equipment and training. The roll-out is planned to build month by month over the first year with the lessons learned in the early phase helping to optimise the process going forward.
	The three WSD sites (Newham, Kent and Cornwall), are each working with a variety of parties to implement their local delivery plans.
	The key delivery partners, as set out in the plans from the sites, are listed in the following table. Each site however, has to work with a large number of stakeholder organisations such as Age Concern, Breath Easy and the Alzheimer's Society are also informing the roll out. Similarly, there are a number of software suppliers who provide the site legacy systems who are involved in the implementation.
	
		
			  Kent  
			 Key delivery partners Kent county council—Kent Adult Social Services (KASS) 
			  East Kent and Coastal PCT 
			  West Kent PCT 
			  Viterion (supplier of TeleHealth) 
			  Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) 
			   
			  Cornwall  
			 Key delivery partners Cornwall and Isle of Scilly PCT 
			  Cornwall county council DASC 
			  HTL/WebVMC (supplier of Telehealth) 
			  Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) 
			  Carrick Life Line 
			  Caradon Life Line 
			  Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust 
			  Cornwall IT Services 
			  Newham  
			 Key delivery partners London borough of Newham (LBN) and Newham primary care trust (NPCT). Service provision for LBN and NPCT is under the auspices of Integrated Adult Services (IAS). 
			  Newham Homes 
			  Newham University Hospital NHS Trust (NUHT) 
			  Tunstall (supplier of Telecare) 
			  Philips (supplier of Telehealth) 
			  T+ Medical (supplier of Telehealth) 
			  Serco 
			  NHS Direct 
		
	
	The WSD Programme is driven by the need to understand the true benefit of integrated health and social care supported by advanced assistive technology (telecare and telehealth).
	The research design for the evaluation of the programme is a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), with allocation to intervention or control group determined by randomisation of participating GP practices (the clusters). Those in the control group will continue to receive 'usual care'. Participating users with the intervention group who meet the eligibility criteria will be offered Telehealth, Telecare or a combination of the two in addition to their 'usual care'. The exact nature of the technology package an eligible participant receives will be determined by the cluster to which they belong and by assessment.
	The population groups who do not receive telecare/telehealth immediately will be re-assessed to see if they are still eligible for these devices 12 months after their initial participation in the programme. In this way the control group have the opportunity to receive an intervention after a 12 month delay.

Health Visitors: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of health visitors needed to deliver the Child Health Promotion programme.

Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of local organisations to commission and develop services to respond to local needs, including the recruitment of health visitors. The "Operating Framework. For the NHS in England 2008-09" highlights the importance of children's services and the need for local organisations to commission and provide the necessary services and workforce.

HIV Infection: Tunbridge Wells

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in Tunbridge Wells borough have been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS; and how many of those were diagnosed within the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Epidemiological surveillance by the Health Protection Agency shows that there were 42 residents of Tunbridge Wells borough council in 2006 receiving HIV-related care in the United Kingdom, the latest year for which information is available. There were less than five individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in Tunbridge Wells borough council in 2007, although they were not necessarily resident there.

Human Embryo Experiments

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many human embryonic stem cell therapies have been developed in the UK; and how many clinical trials to develop such therapies are taking place;
	(2)  how many adult stem cell therapies have been developed in the UK; and how many clinical trials to develop such therapies are taking place.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect centrally information on clinical trials. There are advantages and disadvantages to using stem cells from a particular source and it is still unknown which type will provide the most suitable material for a particular stem cell therapy. For this reason, researchers are continuing to explore the use of the full spectrum of stem cells in the hope of developing new clinical treatments and this broad approach offers the greatest promise for medical advances.
	Currently, stem cells are used in successful, well-tested therapies available in the United Kingdom include skin grafting, transplantation of bone marrow or umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat certain cancers and immune system disorders, and the use of stem cells from the eye to treat corneal disorders.
	However, we are not aware of any clinical trials involving embryonic stem cells being carried out. One of the reasons for this is there are no clinical grade, human embryonic stem cell derived cell lines available for use yet.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Finance

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority is for 2008-09; and how much of this is provided  (a) by central Government and  (b) by pharmaceutical companies.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA's) operating income budget for 2008-09 is £97.9 million.
	Of the total income, £11.1 million is provided by the Department to fund the MHRA's work in the regulation of medical devices.
	The MHRA is a trading fund and the majority of the MHRA's income is generated by fees for its medicines regulatory work which is mostly, but not exclusively, charged to the pharmaceutical industry. It monitors costs against fees charged and reviews its fee levels annually. Fees are set, in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines, with a view to achieving cost recovery for each activity for which it sets a charge. The MHRA is also expected to make a return of 3.5 per cent. of average capital employed paid as dividends to HM Treasury via the Department. For 2008-09 the MHRA's trading income budget is £86.8 million.

Mesothelioma: Screening

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for the National Screening Committee to  (a) review the proposed screening programme for (i) mesothelioma and (ii) other asbestos-related illnesses and  (b) advise primary care trusts on such screening programmes.

Ann Keen: There are no proposals at present for the UK National Screening Committee to review and advise on screening for mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses.

NHS: Anniversaries

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to mark the 60(th) anniversary of the NHS  (a) nationally and  (b) locally; and how much this will cost (i) his Department and (ii) local trusts.

Ann Keen: The Department plans to mark the 60(th) anniversary of the NHS in a number of ways. At a national level, activities include a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey, a history of the NHS publication and focusing annual events including NHS Live and Health and Social care awards around the 60(th) anniversary. Locally, NHS organisations are encouraged to celebrate in the most appropriate way for their staff, patients and local communities.
	The Department has a budget of £300,000 for national activities and to support local NHS plans. Decisions for celebrating NHS 60 celebrations at a local level are not determined by the Department therefore we are unable to provide costs for local celebrations.

NHS: Cleaning Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to bring contracted-out NHS sterilisation services back in-house; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Hospital trusts and all other healthcare providers are responsible for making their own decisions on decontaminating their instruments, based on local needs. Decontamination can either be carried out from onsite or offsite facilities
	All organisations undertaking the decontamination reprocessing of surgical instruments—whether managed by the national health service or the independent sector—must comply with the standards contained within the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC), copies of which are available in the Library. Trusts are responsible for specifying the services required, in line with the Health Act 2006 Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Acquired Infections. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for monitoring compliance with the standard for contracted-out national health service sterilisation services.
	The Government have invested over £200 million in improving decontamination services in the NHS in England. We will continue to support hospital trusts to provide the highest standards of decontamination of instruments as part of their drive against healthcare associated infection and to protect patient safety.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organisations providing services to the NHS have direction employer status; and how many staff this covers.

Ann Keen: The NHS Pension Scheme resource accounts for the 2006-07 year, the latest year that accounts are available, show there were 360 organisations with "direction body" status. Precise information on the number of staff covered by "direction body" status is not available.

NHS: Pay

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when officials in his Department were first informed of the NHS Pay Review Body's recommendations for 2008-09.

Ann Keen: The NHS Pay Review Body's report for 2008-09 was jointly submitted to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State on 4 April 2008.

Nurses: Students

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many students  (a) applied for and  (b) enrolled in returning to (i) nursing and (ii) midwifery courses in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what guidelines exist for the funding of returning to  (a) nursing and  (b) midwifery courses;
	(3)  how much was spent on the promotion of returning to  (a) nursing and  (b) midwifery courses in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: In the spring of 2004 and 2005, the Department ran a generic NHS careers campaign and therefore costs on promoting return to practice for nurses and midwives separately are not available.
	Return to practice is managed locally. The initiative was funded centrally between February 1999 and March 2004. Over 18,500 former nurses and midwives had returned to work in the national health service as a result of the initiative during this period.
	From 1 April 2004, responsibility for return to practice programmes was devolved to local NHS organisations and information is not collected centrally. There are no specific guidelines on funding return to practice courses. NHS organisations fund courses from their overall training budgets to meet local workforce needs. Guidance about return to practice for employers is available on NHS Employers website at
	www.nhsemployers.org.
	On 25 February 2008, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State outlined plans to support former midwives to return to work in the NHS after a break in service. The incentives are worth up to F£3,000, including free refresher training, and financial support while training for child care and travel expenses. The initiative will be launched jointly with the Royal College of Midwives in June.

Parkinson's Disease

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people with Parkinson's disease in each of the last three years; and how many consulted a Parkinson's disease nurse specialist in each year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of people with Parkinson's disease not referred to a specialist for diagnosis in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the level of support given to carers of those with Parkinson's disease.

Ann Keen: In the National "Service Framework for Long-term Conditions", published in 2005, we estimated there were 120,000 people living with Parkinson's disease, this is the latest estimate available. The number of these patients who consulted a Parkinson's disease specialist is not collected. A copy of the publication is available in the Library
	We have made no estimate of the percentage of people with Parkinson's disease who were not referred to a specialist for diagnosis.
	We have made no assessment of the level of support given to carers of those living with Parkinson's disease.

Prostate Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1475W, on prostate cancer, in which primary care trust areas  (a) local and  (b) specialist urology teams did not review new patients presenting with urological cancer using a multi-disciplinary team.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held by primary care trust area. However, the following tables set out the relevant information by national health service trust area.
	Local urology multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) non-compliant with Manual of Cancer Services 2004 measure 2G-114
	"There should be an operational policy for the team whereby it is intended that all new cancer patients will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team"
	as reviewed in the first round of National Cancer Peer Review 2004-07
	
		
			  Trust  Team 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust MDT—Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Aintree 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Wirral 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust MDT—James Paget 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Ealing Hospital 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust MDT—North Middlesex University Hospital 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust MDT—Royal Free 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust MDT—Guys and St. Thomas 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust MDT—Milton Keynes General 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust MDT—East Surrey Hospital 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Eastbourne 
		
	
	Specialist urology MDTs non-compliant with Manual of Cancer Services 2004 measure 2G-114
	"There should be an operational policy for the team whereby it is intended that all new cancer patients will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team"
	as reviewed in the first round of National Cancer Peer Review 2004-07
	
		
			  Trust  Team 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Trust/Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust MDT—North London Joint Cancer Centre 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust MDT—Plymouth

Prostate Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1473W, on prostate cancer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will have prostate cancer in  (a) 2011,  (b) 2016 and  (c) 2021.

Ann Keen: The Department has made the following estimates of the number of new cases of prostate cancer:
	
		
			   New cases (estimate) 
			 2011 29,625 
			 2016 33,026 
			 2021 36,703

Prostate Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 23 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1203-4W, on prostate cancer, whether he has consulted on revised Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme materials; and when he expects a re-launch of the packs to take place;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1214W, on prostate cancer, whether the Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme was discussed at the meeting with representatives of Prostate Cancer Charter for Action of 7 November 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: I can confirm that the revision of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme (PCRMP) was discussed at my meeting with representatives of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action on 7 November 2007. Subsequently representatives of the Charter have been members of a small group convened by national health service cancer screening programmes to consult on and oversee the revision of the PCRMP materials. This revision is ongoing, and an exercise seeking the views of key stakeholders will take place on the revised materials in May 2008 prior to the relaunch of the PCRMP in June 2008.

Psychiatric Nurses

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric nurses there were in each primary care trust in each year between 1999 and 2007.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available in the format requested; such information as is available has been placed in the Library.
	The Department only collects data for England. Due to the large number of re-organisations in the national health service for the requested period, we have supplied three tables, 1999-2000 prior to the formation of the primary care trusts (PCTs), 2001-05 the old PCTs and 2006-07 the current PCTs.

Social Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age in each local authority area received state funded social care support in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 28 April 2008
	Information on the estimated number of working-age people (aged 18-64) receiving state funded social care support from each council is shown in the following table. Please note that this data was first collected from all councils in 2000-01 and the latest year for which data is available is 2006-07.
	There are some issues to be aware of when comparing the data over time involving clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work and Pensions preserved rights scheme and clients receiving services being restated in 2004-05.
	
		
			  Number of clients aged 18-64 receiving services during the period by year, England, 1 April to 31 March 
			  Rounded number 
			Total number of clients receiving services 
			   Councils with social services responsibilities  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03( 1)  2003-04( 1)  2004-05( 1, 2)  2005-06( 1, 2)  2006-07( 1, 2) 
			   England 427,000 443,000 464,000 482,000 492,000 518,000 543,000 
			  
			   North East 19,585 23,810 26,450 30,140 28,000 31,000 34,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 116 Durham 3,925 4,540 5,150 6,540 7,110 7,220 8,115 
			 104 Northumberland 3,470 3,100 2,300 3,320 3,680 4,300 4,565 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 117 Darlington 720 910 980 940 930 1,120 1,205 
			 111 Hartlepool 1,000 1,200 1,190 1,240 1,140 1,120 1,890 
			 112 Middlesbrough 1,900 1,910 1,470 1,430 1,770 1,890 2,015 
			 113 Redcar and Cleveland 1,075 1,170 1,150 1,110 1,310 1,500 1,575 
			 114 Stockton-on-Tees (3)— 1,590 1,570 1,640 1,650 2,050 2,090 
			  
			   Metropolitan Districts
			 106 Gateshead 1,165 1,200 1,770 1,960 2,310 2,250 1,975 
			 107 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,160 2,320 4,340 4,440 2,160 3,600 3,220 
			 108 North Tyneside (3)— 1,710 1,610 3,220 1,500 1,580 1,955 
			 109 South Tyneside (3)— 1,900 (3)— (3)— 1,740 1,850 1,800 
			 110 Sunderland 2,170 2,260 2,330 2,260 2,300 2,400 3,275 
			  
			   North West 54,145 64,830 67,260 70,080 74,000 73,000 76,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 320 Cheshire 4,980 4,430 4,560 5,620 5,430 6,380 6,470 
			 102 Cumbria 2,440 3,310 3,660 3,420 3,930 5,140 5,115 
			 323 Lancashire 10,895 9,140 9,460 10,200 10,680 11,000 10,965 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 324 Blackburn 1,410 1,290 1,170 1,120 1,060 1,210 1,195 
			 325 Blackpool 1,080 1,230 2,000 1,950 1,820 1,810 1,750 
			 321 Halton 840 860 1,000 1,270 1,360 1,340 1,365 
			 322 Warrington 1,680 3,590 2,120 1,940 1,670 1,780 2,025 
			  
			   Metropolitan Districts
			 304 Bolton 1,885 2,460 3,060 2,980 3,150 3,200 3,400 
			 305 Bury 805 1,000 1,620 1,810 2,480 2,340 2,615 
			 315 Knowsley 1,610 1,590 1,640 1,560 1,340 1,550 1,650 
			 316 Liverpool 4,085 4,290 4,480 4,870 4,920 4,950 4,660 
			 306 Manchester (3)— (3)— 3,260 3,770 3,810 4,450 5,110 
			 307 Oldham 7,000 6,260 4,200 3,830 3,920 2,960 3,290 
			 308 Rochdale (3)— 1,830 2,370 2,310 1,870 1,960 2,365 
			 309 Salford (3)— 3,160 2,610 2,770 3,520 3,020 3,185 
			 317 Sefton 3,150 3,230 1,990 2,100 2,210 2,710 2,805 
			 318 St. Helens 1,480 1,580 1,860 2,210 2,360 2,090 1,975 
			 310 Stockport 4,685 4,110 5,300 3,970 6,590 3,530 3,620 
			 311 Tameside 2,370 2,820 3,220 5,100 3,950 3,640 3,600 
			 312 Trafford 1,445 2,030 2,160 1,690 1,960 1,820 1,975 
			 313 Wigan (3)— 2,330 2,450 2,360 2,390 2,920 3,620 
			 319 Wirral 2,310 2,940 3,080 3,200 3,150 3,260 3,270 
			  
			   Yorkshire and the Humber 53,730 55,340 54,100 51,220 49,000 50,000 49,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 218 North Yorkshire 4,450 4,770 4,580 4,240 4,700 4,950 5,040 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 214 East Riding 1,680 3,090 3,430 3,330 3,650 3,210 3,045 
			 215 Kingston-upon-Hull 3,065 3,430 3,560 4,160 4,240 3,170 3,415 
			 216 North East Lincolnshire 725 1,250 970 1,380 860 1,620 1,890 
			 217 North Lincolnshire 1,825 1,120 1,490 1,900 2,300 1,840 1,690 
			 219 York 1,360 1,370 1,940 1,920 1,780 1,820 1,765 
			  
			   Metropolitan Districts
			 204 Barnsley 2,655 4,440 3,600 4,610 3,030 3,980 4,190 
			 209 Bradford (3)— 4,020 4,160 4,770 5,030 4,870 4,585 
			 210 Calderdale 3,355 3,150 2,760 980 1,820 1,850 1,920 
			 205 Doncaster 6,620 1,300 2,150 1,760 1,720 1,560 1,605 
			 211 Kirklees 3,480 4,260 3,760 3,490 3,530 3,620 3,540 
			 212 Leeds 7,645 7,760 8,370 8,390 6,900 7,170 5,650 
			 206 Rotherham 2,930 3,100 2,930 2,700 2,670 2,060 2,200 
			 207 Sheffield 10,985 9,970 8,520 4,840 4,750 5,370 5,555 
			 213 Wakefield 2,950 2,320 1,860 2,750 2,400 2,610 2,690 
			  
			   East Midlands 32,935 39,000 37,740 39,160 39,000 39,000 40,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 506 Derbyshire 4,845 6,990 6,050 6,280 6,490 6,500 6,525 
			 508 Leicestershire 3,515 3,940 4,290 4,360 4,330 4,790 4,450 
			 503 Lincolnshire 9,945 8,760 8,060 8,550 5,410 5,110 5,910 
			 504 Northamptonshire 5,150 5,770 5,000 5,320 8,370 7,480 7,155 
			 511 Nottinghamshire 5,735 6,070 5,970 6,490 6,630 6,900 7,720 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 507 Derby 2,015 2,440 2,360 2,290 2,400 2,470 2,785 
			 509 Leicester 1,540 2,000 2,250 2,550 2,880 2,700 2,545 
			 512 Nottingham (3)— (3)— 3,560 3,120 2,540 2,600 2,685 
			 510 Rutland 180 210 220 210 220 220 280 
			  
			   West Midlands 34,320 39,690 46,610 46,560 49,000 51,000 51,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 417 Shropshire 2,775 2,900 3,420 3,500 4,180 4,420 4,205 
			 413 Staffordshire 7,040 5,860 7,000 7,060 7,170 7,200 6,485 
			 404 Warwickshire 3,375 3,730 3,740 3,750 5,430 4,990 4,840 
			 416 Worcestershire (3)— 2,860 4,820 4,230 4,990 5,120 5,000 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 415 Herefordshire 1,165 1,220 1,380 1,620 1,540 1,710 2,075 
			 414 Stoke-on-Trent 1,610 2,190 2,980 3,400 2,690 2,420 2,495 
			 418 Telford and Wrekin 2,835 1,980 2,170 2,570 2,390 2,410 2,850 
			  
			   Metropolitan Districts
			 406 Birmingham 6,875 5,200 7,390 8,390 7,700 8,720 8,420 
			 407 Coventry (3)— (3)— 3,250 2,060 2,640 2,730 2,830 
			 408 Dudley 3,485 4,060 3,030 2,900 3,110 3,350 3,365 
			 409 Sandwell (3)— (3)— 2,500 1,600 2,320 2,470 2,855 
			 410 Solihull 1,210 1,180 1,290 1,390 1,520 1,510 1,600 
			 411 Walsall 1,100 1,570 1,850 2,420 1,830 1,730 2,180 
			 412 Wolverhampton 2,845 1,870 1,790 1,670 1,740 1,940 2,110 
			  
			   South West 42,735 44,720 47,300 51,670 52,000 57,000 60,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 902 Cornwall 9,475 8,600 9,160 9,700 9,750 8,830 8,635 
			 912 Devon 5,390 4,920 4,750 5,400 5,540 7,310 7,975 
			 809 Dorset 2,855 3,690 3,190 4,400 3,580 4,190 3,470 
			 904 Gloucestershire 4,775 3,960 3,930 3,960 4,370 4,820 5,245 
			 906 Isles of Scilly 40 20 10 10 10 10 10 
			 905 Somerset 3,850 3,980 5,740 5,100 5,790 9,160 9,895 
			 817 Wiltshire 4,110 3,220 3,060 4,700 4,750 4,290 4,920 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 908 Bath and North East Somerset (3)— 1,880 1,740 1,790 1,400 1,630 1,855 
			 810 Bournemouth 2,240 1,370 1,550 1,730 1,860 1,450 1,695 
			 909 Bristol 3,945 4,730 5,160 4,790 4,330 3,470 4,230 
			 910 North Somerset 1,690 1,610 1,550 1,560 1,410 1,630 1,710 
			 913 Plymouth (3)— 2,130 2,190 2,310 2,170 2,540 2,920 
			 811 Poole 810 870 950 1,460 1,550 1,710 1,880 
			 911 South Gloucestershire 1,540 1,350 1,490 1,630 2,200 2,460 2,415 
			 819 Swindon 1,125 1,330 1,450 1,810 1,890 1,950 2,065 
			 914 Torbay 880 1,080 1,370 1,340 1,240 1,380 1,320 
			  
			   Eastern 32,650 42,440 43,800 47,470 45,000 52,000 54,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 610 Bedfordshire 1,510 1,630 1,490 2,540 3,550 3,470 3,600 
			 623 Cambridgeshire 2,285 2,470 3,190 3,450 3,460 3,790 4,185 
			 620 Essex 6,280 12,550 12,500 12,240 (3—) 16,230 16,240 
			 606 Hertfordshire 7,320 10,270 9,240 9,240 8,850 6,290 7,770 
			 607 Norfolk 7,475 7,890 7,710 8,070 5,840 9,540 9,265 
			 609 Suffolk 1,060 1,240 2,810 4,350 5,080 5,860 5,860 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 611 Luton 1,080 1,110 1,410 1,670 1,600 1,640 1,515 
			 624 Peterborough 880 1,990 2,010 1,930 2,190 1,660 1,680 
			 621 Southend 3,735 2,180 2,380 2,690 2,690 2,910 2,345 
			 622 Thurrock 1,030 1,100 1,080 1,290 1,180 1,090 1,250 
			  
			   London 68,125 70,800 69,790 72,770 72,000 75,000 81,000 
			   Inner London
			 702 Camden 3,390 3,420 3,500 3,450 2,280 2,240 2,360 
			 703 Greenwich 1,800 1,530 2,470 1,630 1,850 1,610 1,865 
			 704 Hackney 1,060 (3)— 1,390 1,710 2,240 2,900 2,985 
			 705 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,005 1,410 1,610 1,920 1,840 1,830 1,820 
			 706 Islington 1,450 1,720 1,890 1,710 1,690 1,960 2,150 
			 707 Kensington and Chelsea 1,465 1,850 2,410 3,810 4,120 2,550 2,740 
			 708 Lambeth 2,360 2,810 2,490 2,570 2,480 2,870 2,840 
			 709 Lewisham 2,145 2,130 2,480 2,420 2,370 2,370 2,205 
			 710 Southwark 2,585 2,180 2,360 3,480 3,720 3,540 3,690 
			 711 Tower Hamlets 1,810 2,550 2,460 2,350 2,260 2,860 3,005 
			 712 Wandsworth 2,160 2,310 3,110 3,320 2,310 2,570 2,975 
			 713 Westminster 2,140 2,070 2,040 1,980 1,980 2,450 2,655 
			 714 City of London 340 140 140 180 160 170 145 
			  
			   Outer London
			 716 Barking and Dagenham 1,205 1,260 1,260 1,220 1,420 1,460 1,270 
			 717 Barnet 3,070 3,630 2,510 1,440 1,770 2,500 2,660 
			 718 Bexley 3,590 3,200 3,750 3,540 2,490 2,900 3,800 
			 719 Brent 1,505 2,730 1,780 2,480 2,180 2,530 3,415 
			 720 Bromley 2,375 2,450 2,930 2,840 3,040 3,490 3,600 
			 721 Croydon 2,685 3,510 3,180 2,950 2,450 2,620 2,730 
			 722 Ealing 2,115 2,570 2,170 2,190 2,450 3,050 3,065 
			 723 Enfield 1,220 1,590 1,940 2,060 2,220 2,510 3,045 
			 724 Haringey 2,920 2,250 2,280 2,320 2,240 2,730 2,795 
			 725 Harrow 3,310 2,340 2,510 2,480 2,600 1,690 2,615 
			 726 Havering 1,785 1,920 2,000 2,240 1,850 1,880 2,095 
			 727 Hillingdon 2,875 1,920 1,570 1,730 1,860 1,740 1,880 
			 728 Hounslow 1,420 2,080 1,770 2,230 2,740 2,540 2,375 
			 729 Kingston-upon-Thames 3,975 3,630 1,940 1,640 1,680 1,750 1,520 
			 730 Merton 1,675 1,440 1,170 1,370 1,550 1,910 2,050 
			 731 Newham 1,260 2,360 2,110 2,130 2,450 2,620 3,295 
			 732 Redbridge 1,870 2,220 2,510 2,620 2,630 2,400 2,635 
			 733 Richmond upon Thames 1,110 1,120 1,170 1,320 1,290 1,330 1,620 
			 734 Sutton 1,220 1,230 1,440 1,260 1,470 1,530 1,610 
			 735 Waltham Forest 2,240 1,580 1,460 2,200 2,080 2,210 1,595 
			  
			   South East 41,945 61,950 70,940 73,150 85,000 90,000 98,000 
			   Shire Counties
			 612 Buckinghamshire 1,630 2,100 2,600 2,800 2,570 2,790 3,035 
			 815 East Sussex 3,405 2,570 3,750 4,170 3,920 3,820 4,180 
			 812 Hampshire 8,715 17,120 15,670 18,870 28,390 27,830 30,105 
			 820 Kent 7,835 8,900 11,860 12,340 12,400 13,530 14,885 
			 608 Oxfordshire (3)— (3)— (3)— 3,570 4,000 4,880 5,045 
			 805 Surrey (3)— (3)— 11,050 5,040 9,420 9,910 8,770 
			 807 West Sussex 2,510 2,800 2,840 5,510 4,330 5,710 9,405 
			  
			   Unitary Authorities
			 614 Bracknell Forest 660 830 670 660 870 1,160 1,230 
			 816 Brighton and Hove 2,170 2,980 2,630 3,200 2,740 2,890 2,710 
			 803 Isle of Wight 3,910 3,080 3,690 2,740 1,700 1,750 2,305 
			 821 Medway Towns 1,605 1,650 1,380 1,620 1,990 2,740 2,615 
			 613 Milton Keynes 85 1,090 1,310 1,730 1,580 1,880 2,555 
			 813 Portsmouth 2,665 2,980 2,730 2,500 2,310 1,630 1,825 
			 616 Reading 1,210 1,150 1,370 1,660 1,460 1,600 1,625 
			 617 Slough 850 940 1,060 1,130 1,100 1,260 1,410 
			 814 Southampton 2,245 3,150 2,880 2,560 2,650 2,830 2,950 
			 615 West Berkshire 785 800 910 970 1,200 1,400 1,390 
			 618 Windsor and Maidenhead 825 910 950 1,200 1,380 1,330 980 
			 619 Wokingham 850 720 820 880 890 1,080 1,015 
			 (1) Data includes clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. (2) Guidance was restated in 2004-05. Figures from previous years are not comparable. (3) Missing data.  Notes: 1. The England and regional totals are estimates based on the figures from 150 P1 proformas. 2. Figures may not add up because of rounding. 3. Regional and national totals may not be equal to the sum of the council level figures due to the use of estimates when the council did not fully complete the return. 4. All figures presented are rounded to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000. The precise rounding rules are:  For national and regional totals: Data: Rounding rule Over 10,000: Rounding to nearest 1,000 Between 100 and 10,000: Rounded to nearest 100 Under 50: Rounded to nearest 10. 5. There are some issues to be aware of when comparing the data over time: Since 2002-03, clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income support under the Department for Work and Pensions preserved rights scheme and who transferred to council support on 8 April 2002 have been included in the referrals, assessments and packages of care return. Clients that were in receipt of preserved rights but who were already being partially supported by councils were previously included in the data and are not considered as clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. This mainly effects clients in residential care. Guidance relating to clients receiving services was restated for 2004-05 to only include clients who are assessed by social services and have a care plan. In previous years, some councils included clients receiving services from grant-funded organisations without a community care assessment and therefore the 2004-05 data is not comparable to previous years. Additional clarification was also given on the recording of some types of services. These amendments mainly affect clients receiving community—based services.  Source: RAP proforma P1.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were performed within  (a) one,  (b) two, (c) three,  (d) four,  (e) five,  (f) six,  (g) seven,  (h) eight,  (i) nine,  (j) 10,  (k) 11 and  (l) 12 or more weeks of referral from a general practitioner, or specialist practitioner, in each quarter of each of the last five years, broken down by acute hospital trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Referral-to-treatment data have been collected since January 2007. The information requested has been placed in the Library. These data show the number and percentage of admitted patients treated in each month up to and including January 2008, along with the quarterly totals. These figures include patients referred by general practitioners, specialist practitioners and other sources of referral.
	By December 2008, patients who want it, and for whom it is clinically appropriate, can expect to start their treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral. Published data show that at a national level, performance for admitted patients has increased from 49 per cent. in January 2007 to 69 per cent. in January 2008.

Working Conditions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to help employers provide healthy working environments.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 1 May 2008
	 The Government have done a good deal to help employers provide healthy working environments in recent years: the publication of the White paper, "Choosing Health—making healthy choices easier" (2004); the cross-Government "Health, Work and Well-being (HWWB) Strategy—Caring for our future" (2005), and, finally, the more recently published Professor Dame Carol Black's, National Director for Health and Work's review of the health of the working age, "Working for a healthier tomorrow" (March 2008). Added to this, the Government have sponsored a number of workplace health awards for both public and private sectors, including the prestigious Business in the Community Health at Work awards.
	As the Secretary of State for Work Pensions set out in a written ministerial statement on 17 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 50-52WS, the Government will consider Dame Carol's findings carefully and, over the coming months, will develop detailed proposals to make a real difference to all working environments. Success in this agenda will benefit individuals, families, communities, businesses and the economy as a whole.

Bus Services: Subsidies

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of local authority grant has been made to enable the subsidy of uneconomic bus routes for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09 in (i) Plymouth and (ii) Devon.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	Plymouth city council and Devon county council have received Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and funding from the Department for Transport's Urban and Rural Bus Challenge and Kickstart schemes. These grants have provided financial support towards new and existing bus services including those which may have previously been uneconomic. The following table shows the amounts the two authorities received in 2007-08 under these grants schemes; projected figures for 2008-09 are also shown:
	
		
			  Authority  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Plymouth city council 133,848 (1)16,760 
			 Devon county council 2,531,770 2,557,972 
			 (1) The reduction as compared with the Plymouth figure for the previous year reflects the completion of funding in 2007-08 for the authority's project under the Urban Bus Challenge scheme. 
		
	
	Local authorities may also use funding from the Government's unhypotheticated Revenue Support Grant to support local bus services.
	Bus companies operating throughout Devon also receive Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) from the Department. This is a payment equivalent to about 80 per cent. of the fuel duty operators incur in providing local bus services. However, as BSOG is a payment direct to operators, statistics are not kept of payments by local authority or geographical area.

Construction Methods: Fire Prevention

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the fire resistance standards to be applied to materials used in the construction of public and community buildings;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to inform local authorities about the fire performance of certain composite panels;
	(3)  whether she plans to revise standard LPS 1181 relating to the fire performance of composite panels used in the construction of schools and other community buildings;
	(4)  if she will meet the Loss Prevention Certificate Board to discuss the fire performance of composite panels.

Iain Wright: The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) apply to building work in England and Wales, typically the erection, extension or material alteration of a building, including public and community buildings. For the purposes of securing reasonable standards of health and safety for persons in and about buildings, part B of the regulations sets out requirements for fire safety.
	In support of these requirements, the Department issues technical guidance, known as Approved Document B, which sets out appropriate levels of fire performance and fire resistance for materials, products and structures, including composite panels, when tested to relevant British or European standards. The necessary level of performance that should be obtained will depend upon the type of building, the nature of the construction product and where it is located.
	Specific guidance on meeting the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations in the design and construction of schools is given in Building Bulletin 100 which is published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and on hospitals in Health Technical Memorandum 02-05 which is published by the Department of Health.
	In existing buildings, fire safety risk assessment undertaken under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 should take account of the type of construction used in any building. The Department has issued technical fire safety risk assessment guidance which includes reference to composite panels.
	LPS 1181 is a loss prevention standard, produced by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB), used primarily by the insurance industry. This standard provides a method for assessing the fire performance of cladding systems with respect to potential economic loss in the event of a fire. Current statutory provisions and supporting standards for fire protection in buildings are made only for the purposes of securing the health and safety of people in and around buildings, not to reduce economic loss. As such the Department does not utilise LPS 1181 within its guidance on fire safety.
	Officials within the Department do, from time to time, communicate with the LPCB on a wide range of issues. However as LPS 1181 is not utilised within our guidance it is not of direct relevance to the Department's work.

Construction: Sustainable Development

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to improve sustainability within local government procurement with regard to construction.

John Healey: Subject to their legal duties, including the duty of best value and public procurement law, local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions. In doing so, there is a range of good practice guidance that local authorities can have regard to. For example, the Local Government Task Force, which is sponsored by Communities and Local Government, published recently three guides on sustainable construction, which include specific advice for leaders, construction professionals and procurement managers.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was raised in council tax for each precepting authority in 2006-07 in England.

John Healey: Details of the level of council tax precepting authorities in England anticipated raising in 2006-07 were published in table 8 of the statistical release "Levels of council tax set by local authorities in England 2006-07".
	This release is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax067.htm

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 613W, on council tax: valuation, for what reasons the sections on  (a) future council tax revaluations,  (b) the hon. Member for Meriden and  (c) consequentials, were redacted from the minutes placed in the Library.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 613W. The reasons are stated in the redacted minutes.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government  
	(1)  pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 613W, and 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 924-5W, on council tax: valuation, if she will place in the Library the initial analysis of the number of consequentials that informed the discussions at the Council Tax Revaluation Programme Board (England);
	(2)  how many consequentials that were identified were subsequently corrected as part of the Valuation Office Agency's normal duty; and how many households had their records amended.

John Healey: No analysis has been undertaken.

Council Tax: Waste Management

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether joint waste authorities will levy a separate precept on council tax.

John Healey: Joint waste authorities will not have precepting powers and will need to agree funding structures with their constituent authorities.

Departmental Manpower

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) permanent Civil Service posts,  (b) permanent non-Civil Service posts and  (c) temporary or agency workers in employment there were in her Department in each month since May 2005.

Parmjit Dhanda: Our workforce statistics are compiled quarterly and published by the Office for National Statistics. They are on the basis of numbers of employees rather than posts and do not reflect vacancy information.
	The latest available figures are for 31 December 2007 and show there were 5,280 permanent civil servants and 70 temporary employees in the Department for Communities and Local Government. The figures are on the full-time equivalent basis and are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Historical records are available from the recently launched UK Statistics Authority website:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ReleaseCalendar/fundreleases.asp?releasetitle=Public+Sector+Employment&releaseorganisation=42&releasetheme=&daterange=3&sday=18&smonth=03&syear=2008&ShowHits=10&SortOrder=0&ShowYear=2008.
	These figures will exclude temporary agency workers who are not employed directly by Communities and Local Government.
	Non-civil service permanent posts include special advisors. The Prime Minister provided details of special advisors to the House on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, column 147WS.

Eco-Towns

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the short-listed eco-town proposals involve development on  (a) Green Belt and  (b) greenfield land.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today.

Eco-Towns: Motor Vehicles

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to promote the restriction of car  (a) ownership and  (b) parking spaces in eco-town developments.

Caroline Flint: We have set out in the consultation document, Eco-towns—living a greener future what needs to be achieved in terms of sustainable transport and this includes a significant reduction in car reliance. This would mean for example, locating major facilities and services within a 10 minute walk of homes within the eco-town and provision of frequent and reliable public transport. Through these measures and those set out in the consultation document we would expect there to be less of a need for car parking spaces, but each location will need its own approach.

Eco-Towns: Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bids to become eco-towns included plans for development on  (a) Green Belt and  (b) greenfield land.

Caroline Flint: Based on an evaluation of the shortlisted bids I can confirm that no new homes will be built on Green Belt land. In terms of greenfield land I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2303W to the hon. Member for Cotswolds (Mr. Clifton-Brown).

Electronic Government

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which her Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department is able to monitor the number of downloads from its website and intranet, and the volume of external e-mail correspondence. We have not set up the capacity to monitor the level of internal e-mail correspondence.

Floods: EU Grants and Loans

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the £110 million received from the EU for emergency flood relief will be put at the disposal of  (a) central Government,  (b) local government and  (c) Gloucestershire County Council.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my parliamentary statement of 6 May 2008,  Official Report, column 18WS.

Floods: Planning Permission

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times the Planning Inspectorate overruled decisions to refuse planning permission for new developments proposed to be built in flood risk areas when the Environment Agency and the relevant local authority have advised against such a development in the last two years.

Iain Wright: The Planning Inspectorate does not capture data to enable it to identify appeals that relate to development within flood risk areas. If a planning application for development in a flood risk area were to be referred to the Planning Inspectorate on appeal, it would be decided in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicated otherwise. All representations made would be taken into account, as well as Government policy set out in Planning Policy Statement 25 "Development and Flood Risk". Each case would be determined on its merits.

Homelessness

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households, where the household type was a  (a) couple with dependent children and  (b) lone parent household with dependent children, were in temporary accommodation in England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level on the PIE statistical return. This information includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty. The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Data on the number of households in temporary accommodation is provided in our quarterly statistical release on statutory homelessness, published on our website and placed in the House Library. The latest release was published on 10 March 2008.
	Data on household type was first collected on the main PIE form from June 2006. Figures showing a breakdown by household type, including  (a) couples with dependent children and  (b) lone parent households with dependent children, are available for each quarter from June 2006 onwards and are provided in Table 10c, available on the website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/714966.xls
	A summary of data from the table is provided as follows and shows the number of households in temporary accommodation, by household type, as at the last day of December in 2006 and 2007.
	
		
			  Number of households in temporary accommodation, by household type, as at 31 December 
			   Total in temporary accommodation( 1)  Couple with dependent children( 2)  Lone parent household with dependent children 
			 Percentage of total   Percentage of total 
			 2006(3) 89,510 23,130 26 42,310 47 
			 2007(3) 79,500 20,450 26 37,860 48 
			 (1) This should be a "snapshot" of the numbers in accommodation on the last day of the quarter, not the numbers taking up accommodation. (2) Includes expectant mothers with no other dependent children. (3) Provisional data.  Note: Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding.  Source: CLG PIE Homelessness returns (quarterly)

Homes and Communities Agency: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what she estimates the running costs of the Homes and Communities Agency will be in its first year of operation.

Caroline Flint: The Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) running costs will be brought together from a range of components, including the current running costs of English Partnerships, a percentage of the current running costs of the Housing Corporation that relate to those functions transferring to the HCA, the current running costs of the Academy for Sustainable Communities and costs associated with the delivery of a number of programmes currently delivered by my Department. Work to disaggregate the costs involved is under way.

Housing: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the proposal to build 1,500 new homes next to the River Stour in North Bournemouth.

Iain Wright: holding answer 28 April 2008
	There have been no discussions between Communities and Local Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at ministerial level. However, discussions have taken place between officials of the two Departments as part of the consideration of the Secretary of State's proposed changes to the regional spatial strategy for the south west.

Housing: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of housing allocations made by housing associations in Chelmsford local authority area were made to people who had no previous direct or indirect links to the borough in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: holding answer 1 May 2008
	The information is not available in the form requested.

Housing: Construction

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new houses were built in Easington constituency in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Information on house building rates is not held on a parliamentary constituency basis, but for Easington District as a whole the numbers of houses built (gross) over the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Units 
			 2002-03 124 
			 2003-04 382 
			 2004-05 406 
			 2005-06 402 
			 2006-07 659 
			 Total 1,973

Housing: Low Incomes

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to local authorities to apply conditions to ensure that homes granted planning consent as affordable are retained within the affordable sector in perpetuity; and if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities use the powers available.

Iain Wright: holding answer 1 May 2008
	There are a number of methods by which homes that are sold can be retained in the social housing sector.
	Local authorities which sell under the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme properties located in:
	National Parks;
	Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and
	40 areas designated by the Secretary of State as 'rural' for RTB purposes,
	may impose covenants restricting the resale of these properties to people who have lived or worked locally for at least three years. 'Locally' means within a 'region' designated by the Secretary of State for this purpose. Alternatively, they may require that if the owners wish to resell such properties, they must first offer them back to the local authority.
	In order to retain social rented properties in areas where replacement is difficult, the Right to Acquire scheme, under which housing association tenants may buy their rented home at a discount, does not apply in small rural settlements.
	In addition providers have a right of first refusal to buy back properties sold under the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes if they are resold within 10 years if it is essential to retain the homes for social rent.
	Measures in the Housing and Regeneration Bill, which completed its second reading in the House of Lords on 28 April, will enable landlords of shared ownership houses to restrict the equity share which shared owners can buy in areas where replacement is difficult, thereby retaining the property within the affordable housing sector for future purchasers where it is essential to do so.

Ipsos MORI: Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the full original dataset of polling information compiled by Ipsos MORI as part of its research study into the home information pack area trials.

Caroline Flint: No. The data includes personal information which could not be checked and where appropriate removed except at disproportionate costs.

Local Authorities: Public Participation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has conducted on the mechanisms and processes by which local authorities respond to petitions from local residents.

Parmjit Dhanda: As part of the consultation on Local Petitions and Calls for Action, which closed on 20 March 2008, communities and local government commissioned a series of focus groups with the public on petitions, and received 149 consultation responses from local authorities, some of which detailed their processes for responding to petitions.

Local Authorities: Satisfaction

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average satisfaction rate with local councils according to  (a) Audit Commission assessments and  (b) performance against best value performance indicators was in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Satisfaction with local authorities has been measured through the best value user satisfaction survey, which was undertaken by local authorities every three years from 2000-01 to 2006-07. The data from these surveys were collated and analysed by an external IT contractor on behalf of the Audit Commission and Communities and Local Government (CLG), the latest general report published on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/324639
	Latest data for individual authorities can be found on the Audit Commission website at:
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Performance/Downloads/2006_07UserSurveyBVPIswithDistricts.xls.
	The satisfaction survey collects information on 13 attitudinal best value performance indicators. Overall satisfaction with each local authority is measured by best value performance indicator 3 and the averages for local authorities in England are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 65 
			 2003-04 55 
			 2006-07 54 
		
	
	The Audit Commission assesses councils' performance through comprehensive performance assessment (CPA). It does not make separate assessments of customer service satisfaction with councils. In determining the overall CPA performance ratings and Direction of Travel statements of councils, the Audit Commission will take into consideration the results in the best value user satisfaction surveys, as well as other non-attitudinal evidence on performance.
	Since the CPA (the performance management framework for councils in England) was introduced in 2002 councils throughout England have continued to significantly improve their overall performance, as the following table illustrates:
	
		
			   CPA 2002 results  CPA 2003 results  CP A 2004  results  cpa 2005  results  CPA 2006 results  CPA 2007 results 
			 Number of single tier and county councils achieving excellent/good CPA rating(1) 76 82 101 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Percentage 51 55 67
			
			 Number of single tier and county councils achieving 3 or 4 star rating(1) n/a n/a n/a 102 119 123 
			 Percentage — — — 68 80 83 
			 (1) The Audit Commission introduced a new framework for CPA in single tier and county councils from 2005-08, CPA—'The Harder Test'. This framework is a harder and different test to the framework used from 2002-04 and CPA categories were renamed from 2005 onwards to reflect this change.

Local Authorities: Translation Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding is provided by the Government to local authorities to provide translation and interpretation services, broken down by  (a) local authority and  (b) language.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-Domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the business rates multiplier is for  (a) businesses eligible for the small business rate and  (b) other businesses in 2008-09.

John Healey: The multiplier for those properties eligible for small business rate relief in 2008-09 is 0.458, while the multiplier for other properties that are not liable for this relief is 0.462.

Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility.

John Healey: The current average employer contribution rate for the local government pension scheme, based on available information, is some 15.7 per cent. of payroll.
	The equivalent rate for the Firefighters Pension Scheme 1992 is 21.3 per cent. of payroll and 11 per cent. for the new fire fighters pension scheme 2006.

Planning: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the East of England Development Agency involvement in the bottling plant proposal for the Northwick Road/Canvey jetty area of Canvey Island; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: No representations have been received on the East of England Development Agency's involvement in the bottling plant proposal for the Northwick Road Canvey jetty area of Canvey Island.

Planning: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will call in a planning approval granted by councillors at the corner of Oak Road and London Road in Hadleigh to assess its compatibility with the Castle Point local development framework.

Iain Wright: The primary responsibility for development control within an area rests with the local planning authority. It is for them to decide in the first instance, with particular regard to the provisions of the statutory Development Plan and any other material considerations, whether a particular development should take place. The Secretary of State rarely intervenes in the consideration of individual planning applications and then only when planning issues of national or regional significance are involved. To do so more often would be to undermine the responsibility of local authorities for planning in their area.
	Government policy in Planning Policy Statements 1 and 12 states that planning decisions should be taken in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Officers at the Government Office for the East of England (GO East) studied the Council's Planning Committee Report for this proposal and were satisfied that the decision to grant planning permission would be made in accordance with local plan policy and, in view of the fact that the planning issues raised were of no more than local significance, it was considered that the Secretary of State's intervention was not appropriate.
	Now that planning permission has been granted, there is no set procedure by which the Secretary of State can intervene. She does have certain powers which could be invoked if a development of land use was judged to be so grossly wrong as to do serious damage to the wider public interest. In this instance, and for the reasons given above, such action would not be justified. It is now for Castle Point borough council to monitor the development to ensure that it is carried out in accordance with the terms of the planning permission.

Planning: Floods

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities were directed to rescind planning consents owing to flood risk in each of the last five years; when each direction was issued; and in respect of which location.

Iain Wright: Section 100 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 provides a mechanism for the Secretary of State to initiate proceedings for the revocation or modification of planning permission.
	According to our records no local authorities have been directed by the Secretary of State to rescind planning permissions owing to flood threats over the last five-years.

Planning: Travelling People

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1902W, on planning: travelling people, what funding has been provided to assist local residents in challenging illegal or unauthorised developments by travellers.

Iain Wright: The Government fund Planning Aid which provides free, independent advice to individuals and community groups including tenant and resident groups, on the full range of planning issues. The Government provided grant funding to Planning Aid of £1.7 million in 2007-08 which is rising to £3.2 million in 2008-09.
	The Government have also published a guide to the effective use of enforcement powers against the unauthorised development of caravan sites. This informs interested members of the public how the planning enforcement system can prevent the stationing of caravans on land in contravention of planning control.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 121W, on the Valuation Office, if she will place in the Library a copy of the current version of the Valuation Office Agency's form Dwelling Survey V09072.

John Healey: A copy of the current version of this form is available in the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Referencing Manual and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1279W.

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1033W, on property: databases, which local authorities submit billing authority reports to the Valuation Office Agency via the Valuebill electronic interface.

John Healey: The following local authorities submitted electronic billing authority reports (eBARs) to the Valuation Office Agency between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2007:
	Amber Valley
	Arun
	Barnsley
	Barrow-In-Furness
	Basildon
	Berwick Upon Tweed
	Bexley
	Birmingham
	Blackburn With Darwen
	Borough of Poole
	Bournemouth
	Braintree
	Breckland
	Brent
	Brentwood
	Bristol City
	Broadland
	Bromley
	Bromsgrove
	Burnley
	Caerphilly
	Caradon
	Carmarthenshire
	Carrick
	Castle Morpeth
	Castle Point
	Ceredigion
	Chelmsford
	Chester Le Street
	City And County Of Kingston-Upon-Hull
	Colchester
	Congleton
	Copeland
	Coventry
	Crewe and Nantwich
	Denbighshire
	Derwentside
	Doncaster
	Dudley
	Easington
	East Cambridgeshire
	East Dorset
	East Hampshire
	East Riding Of Yorkshire
	East Staffordshire
	Eastbourne
	Eastleigh
	Eden
	Ellesmere Port and Neston
	Epping Forest
	Epsom and Ewell
	Fareham
	Forest Heath
	Gosport
	Great Yarmouth
	Greenwich
	Gwynedd
	Hackney
	Haringey
	Harlow
	Hart
	Hartlepool
	Hastings
	Havant
	Havering
	Hertsmere
	Hyndburn
	Isle of Wight
	Kennet
	Kensington and Chelsea
	Kettering
	Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
	Kingston Upon Thames
	Lambeth
	Leeds
	Lichfield
	Macclesfield
	Maldon
	Manchester
	Medway
	Mendip
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Merton
	Middlesbrough
	Neath And Port Talbot
	New Forest
	Newham
	Newport
	North East Lincolnshire
	North Shropshire
	North Tyneside
	North Warwickshire
	Norwich
	Nuneaton and Bedworth
	Oswestry
	Pembrokeshire
	Plymouth
	Portsmouth City
	Powys
	Preston
	Redcar And Cleveland
	Ribble Valley
	Richmond Upon Thames
	Rochford
	Rossendale
	Rotherham
	Rugby
	Rushcliffe
	Rushmoor
	Rutland
	Salisbury
	Sandwell
	Sedgefield
	Sevenoaks
	Sheffield
	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	Solihull
	South Bedfordshire
	South Gloucestershire
	South Norfolk
	South Kibble
	South Somerset
	South Tyneside
	Southwark
	Stevenage
	Stoke On Trent
	Stratford On Avon
	Suffolk Coastal
	Sunderland
	Sutton
	Swansea
	Tamworth
	Taunton Deane
	Teesdale
	Teignbridge
	Telford And Wrekin
	Test Valley
	Thanet
	Thurrock
	Tonbridge and Malling
	Torbay
	Torfaen
	Tower Hamlets
	Tunbridge Wells
	Wakefield
	Waltham Forest
	Wandsworth
	Wansbeck
	Warwick
	Waveney
	Waverley
	Wear Valley
	Welwyn Hatfield
	West Devon
	West Lindsey
	Westminster City
	Wirral
	Wolverhampton
	Worcester
	Worthing
	Wrexham

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local billing authorities are required to adopt the Valuebill interface; and what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on its adoption.

John Healey: Valuebill is a voluntary initiative aimed at improving the electronic exchange of property information between local authorities and the Valuation Office Agency. It is up to local authorities to decide whether they adopt the Valuebill interface. Valuebill is mentioned in the ODPM 2005 publication "Delivery Efficiency in Local Services - Further guidance for local authorities", as an initiative to assist local authorities in increasing efficiency.

Waste Disposal: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities had performance targets in their local public service agreements or local area agreements on household waste collection, where such performance was incentivised with reward grants; and what the target was in each case.

John Healey: Reward targets appear in local public service agreements (LPSA) and local area agreements (LAA).
	All texts of LPSAs and LAAs are in the public domain either via the Communities and Local Government website (LPSA) or IdEA website (LAA) or directly from individual authorities.